Shadows in a burning heart
by SugarHoney91
Summary: Stella is a young Circe in training. She is sent to Lumina Academy and meets some interesting people. Even if everything seemes more then perfect on the outside, there is a dark secret hidden somewhere in the school. But where? Stella//Noctis
1. Chapter 1

Shadows in a burning heart 

It was almost lunch time and the rain had finally let up. Sadly, that was not the same case for the fog. The whole town was covered in gray and if it weren't for the streetlights, then you wouldn't be able to see anything further then four feet from you. It was odd how the streetlights were lit so early in the day, but that wasn't the only thing out of place. All around she could see people dressed in nothing but black. Women wore fancy black dresses and old fashion hats. Men wore velvet suits and carried bouquet of black roses.

The further down the road she got, she noticed a lot parked cars at the sides. Her cab had suddenly slowed down which gave her more time to examine all the expensive brands. There was a limousine, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and... a hearse. Only then did she noticed that this was funeral procession. It hadn't even occurred to her that they were in front of an Gothic church.

People lined up on the wet grass in front of the building as a few men carried out big, dark red and gold casket. After them came two women, one in a long black sleeveless dress and the other in a short gray one with knee high boots. The woman in black consoled the one in gray, who from the looks of it was the widow. Such a young woman.

After them came the rest of the family; a little girl in a sweet wine red dress with a white underskirt, white stockings and black Mary Jane`s. Behind her stood a tall woman on the arm muscular man. His dark hair hanged loosely around his shoulders and his red suit and black shirt stood out from the rest of the crowd.

She was just able to catch him whisper something to the woman next to him before the cab turned the corner.

With a exhausted sigh, she turned back around to face the driver. "How much longer?"

"Only a few minuets." They would have arrived much sooner but the unexpected weather stopped them from doing so.

She took this time to get a better view of the town she would now live in. The streets were rather small and she guessed that the sides of the car brushed against the tall buildings that surrounded them. There were apartments, shops, banks etc. it all looked a bit too medieval.

The driver had to make a few turns not to hit the townspeople, who ogled the yellow cab like it was made of cold.

Soon they escaped the stared and ghostly buildings and her shoulders relaxed for a minuet before she realized that they drove on a dirt path that led into the woods.

"Where are we going? Are you sure that this is the right way?"

"Positive." The driver seemed as relaxed as ever. Like he could make this trip in his sleep.

She didn't know why, but she had this feeling that she was being watched. Although, the only thing that surrounded the car was tall trees and dark bushes, and a fog that refused to go away.

She nearly let out a scream when she felt a hand on her knee.

"We're here." The driver said and turned back around.

She was about to ask what he meant until she made out a shape in the fog in front of them. A very large shape.

The cab stopped in front of the front gates. She wondered what they were waiting for, but her question was answered when the gates slowly opened and let them inside. Once they past the gates, the fog seemed to mysteriously disappear.

The school grounds were enormous. Some people who played football on the field, stopped to stare at the cab with the new students inside.

The cab stopped by the front entrance of the school where a short woman with pixie, black hair waited for them. She wore a pink plaid pants and a white shirt.

Even though her childlike features, the woman walked with such elegant and grace that she made everything around her look like second class. She opened the car door. "Stella Nox Fleuret?"

"Yes." The woman closed the door behind Stella as the driver carried her luggage inside.

"My name is Alexandria Sante. I'm the head mistress of this school." The woman gave away a warm smile that maid her look like a child. "Welcome to Lumina Academy."

Stella tried her best to ignore the curious glances from passing students. "I'm glad to be here."

"We've been waiting for you and to be honest, we expected you earlier but I guess the weather held you back." Alexandria said and took Stella by the elbow and led her inside. "You had us worried there for a moment."

Her comment about the weather reminded Stella about something. "The fog. Why doesn't it reach past the gates?"

"A protection spell." Alexandria answered. "You've seen how big the school grounds are. If that fog reached us then it would make us an easy target for the enemy."

"A wise choice." Stella said as they walked down the enormous hallway. The walls were decorated with different Circes over time. Circe is the name of our kind. Magic runs in our blood and when we are young we are sent to these schools to learn how to control that power, and become stronger. Circe means daughter of the sun it doesn't matter what sex you are, male or female, we are all her daughters.

"Yes. We have to keep the Endymions away from here." Alexandria stopped in front of a small wooden door before she disappeared through it.

Stella yelped and took two steps back. "Mrs. Sante?"

A chuckle was heard. "Don't be afraid. Step through."

Stella reached out to touch the wooden door only to find out that it wasn't wood. It was liquid, like water. She held her breath and slowly walked through. On the other side there was a small staircase with uneven stone steps. "How?"

"Protection." Alexandria answered again gestured to the door, which was see-through from this side. "Endymions can't pass this door. Should there ever be an attach then they couldn't get past the first floor."

"Oh." Was all Stella could say. This school took their security very seriously. Endymions are sons of the moon and Circes enemies. "Where are we going?"

"Your roommate is waiting for you. She will show you around. I would do it myself but taking care of this school takes up all my time." Alexandria led the way to the dorms. "Watch where you step."

Stella managed to make it all the way to the third floor without falling down and break something, but she did slip a few times on the way. She made a mental note to herself not to wear skirt or high heels again.

The third floor was nothing like the first floor. The first floor looked like a giant library with bookshelves on every wall, while the third floor looked like it was pulled straight from a fairytale. The colors were cream white and peach. A long table was in the center of the room with a white lace table cloth over it. There was a candlebra at the center with unlit candles and in front of every chair was a white laptop. This is probably where they did their studying. The walls were covered with paintings of landscapes and portraits of famous female Circes.

"Where is the prince?" Stella asked sarcastically as she walked across the shiny peach colored floor and smelled the white roses on a nearby table.

Either Alexandria didn't hear her or she ignored her comment. "Let me show you to your room."

Stella bit her bottom lip and followed Alexandria. There were three different hallways leading from the room. They took the one that lead to the east. Six doors down to their left, Alexandria stopped and knocked on the door.

A few light steps were heard on the other side before the door swung open and a girl with long red ,curly hair stepped out. "Yes?"

"Amandine, this is your new roommate." Alexandria gestured towards Stella. "And Stella this is Amandine Olethea."

"Nice to meet you." Stella made a great show of not showing how nervous she was.

"Amandine bit her lip as she eyed Stella from head to toe. She seemed satisfied with what she saw because her lips broke into the sweetest smile. "You too."

"I'll let you two her acquainted. Stella don't forget that school starts tomorrow at 08.30." Alexandria left the two to get to know each other better.

"Please come inside." Amandine walked over to the empty bed as Stella closed the door behind her. "You will sleep here and your luggage are over there in the corner."

"Thank you." Stella muttered and sat down on her bed. The room was rather small but still bigger then she had expected. Her side of the room was pretty much empty except for the bed and a desk. Amandine`s side of the room was decorated with all sorts of cute stuff. She had a ton of make-up and at least ten bottles of perfume. Her bed was full of fluffy pillows ans stuffed animals. "Nice rooms."

"Thanks. Your welcome to decorate your side however you want." Amandine grabbed her purse and a couple of books. "I still have my other classes so I will have to show you around later. Will you be

fine alone for a couple of hours?"

Stella nodded. "I'll be fine."

Amandine said good bye on last time before she left for her classes. Stella decided that his would be a good time to unpack her stuff. It wasn't until after she had unpacked most of her stuff that she realized how many clothes she had brought. Most of her shoes were high heels and she regretted for not bringing anymore flats.

"What now?" Stella whispered to herself. It finally looked like someone lived there. She still didn't have as many stuff or perfume bottles as Amandine but give her some time and she will get there.

There was a slight knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Stella called but a few seconds past without an answer.

She got of her bed and opened the door only to find that no one was there. She stuck her head out and looked down the hall. It was completely empty.

She let out a frustrated sigh and closed the door.

"Ahh!"

Right there on her bed was a girl with shoulder length brown hair. She wore gray sweatpants and a green T-shirt with `Bite me!` printed on it.

"I love doing this to people." The girl giggled.

"Who? How..." Stella didn't know how to finish the sentence.

The girl waved it off. "Never mind that. I heard the new student moved into this room so I came to say hello. Hello!"

"Don't you have classes?" Stella wondered, although that should be the last thing on her mind.

The girl shrugged. "They will still be there tomorrow."

Stella moved to sit beside her on the bed. "Who are you?"

The girl jumped of the bed and Stella noticed that she was barefoot."Ujana Jacoba, at your service."

Stella couldn't hold back a chuckle when Ujana bowed like a servant. "I'm Stella Nox Fleuret."

"Nice to meet you." Ujana plopped down on the bed again. "You want a tour around the school?"

Ujana was so much different then Amandine. She seemed a lot more cheerful and free going. "That would be nice."

"Great! Let's go." Ujana skipped to the door and held it open for Stella. "Come on."

"Um... don't you want to put on shoes first?" Stella asked as they walked down the hall. Only one other girl was there but she was to occupied with checking her messages on her cell so she didn't even notice them.

"Why?" Ujana looked at Stella`s feet. "You on the other hand might want to consider something else. Those heels are a deathtrap around here."

Stella noticed that Ujana was about three inches shorter then Stella and that was when she was barefoot. "I'll remember that."

Ujana held the door open for Stella again as they walked down the uneven stone stairs. There were only a few steps left and Stella lost her balance and fell forward. She went through the liquid door and cracked right into someone.

Stella jumped back up on her feet. "Sorry."

Someone groaned. A guy with dark brown hair lied faced down on the floor. He slowly got back up to his feet and glared at the two girls. "Who was it?"

Stella nervously raised her hand. Her cheeks burned up with embarrassment. "I-It was me. I'm sorry."

He looked down at what she was wearing. One of her heels were broken. "Get some new shoes."

"Be nice." Ujana wined. "She's new."

The guy raised his head and glared at her with melted honey colored eyes. "Your name."

"Stella Nox Fleuret." She crossed her arms over he chest to show him that she was not afraid.

"America Kaelem." He waved at her. "Watch were you are going next time."

Stella and Ujana stared at his back as he walked away. He was tall and skinny, but not in a sick way. His pants hanged loosely and probably would have showed the top of his underwear if it weren't for the large black shirt, the sleeves were pulled up to his elbows. On his wrist he had an expensive gold watch but his shoes looked old and worn out.

"Jerk." Ujana muttered as she led Stella to the library. She was pulled yo a stop so that Stella could remove her broken shoes. "I told you not to wear those."

"Yes, you did." Stella sighed and ran to catch up with Ujana. "Where is the library?"

"On the other side of school. Lucky for the guys because it's so close to their dorm but unlucky for us girls." Ujana said. "But we need to get you some school books. Hell start for you tomorrow and you need to be prepared."

Ujana continued to tell her all about the other students. This way she would know who to trust, who ti avoid or keep an eye on. None of these people interested her as much as that new guy she meet earlier, America Kaelem. He acted so hostile towards her when he didn't even know her, but there was something else about him that caught her eye. She just didn't know what or why.

"What about Kaelem?" Stella interrupted Ujana`s ramble of some rich guy who was a real jackass.

"Kaelem?" Ujana stared accusingly at her. "You haven't been listening."

"Sorry." Stella whispered and bit her lip.

"Be careful around him. His grandfather was a Endymion." Ujana warned. It's not unheard of a Circe and a Endymion breaking the rules and creating a child. Although the punishment is being burned to death. That way their powers will still remain on earth so that you can use it for protection spells. Their children get to live, but they become outcasts in their society, like America.

The library was all the way on the other side of school and Ujana helped her carry back all of her books back to her room.

"Why do I need so many books?" Stella wined as she placed them on her bed. "Is it really necessary?"

"We have a lot of classes." Ujana explained. She helped Stella place all of the books in her bookshelf before she said a quick good bye and left.

Stella wondered why she was in a hurry all of a sudden, but she was grateful for some time alone. Instead of getting some rest, which would be the greatest of ideas, she decided to explore the school some more. She had already seen most of the first floor and the second one was only classroom and the dinning halls, so she wanted to explore the `higher` part of school.

This time she put on comfortable shoes before she climbed the stairs again. Instead of stopping at the first door she saw, she kept going until she reached the top. It took a while, but at the top was one single door that reached up to her waist. She felt like Alice in wonderland.

The door had something written on it. Unfortunately Stella had no idea what it said, but that didn't stop her from trying to open the door. It was locked.

"What are you doing?"

Stella spun around and saw America. "Why are you here?"

"You first." He pressed.

"I-I was just curious." Stella said and touched the door. "What is behind here?"

"I don't know." Stella was more then surprised when he took her hand in hers. "We can't be here."

"Then why did you come? This is the girls dorm. You aren't even supposed to be in this part of the school." She walked past him. She could hear the other girls further down the stairs and she guessed that school had ended for today.

He just shrugged and stopped walking. There was still something weird about him, and not just his behavior.

"Aren't you coming?" Stella asked.

He shock his head. "I can't be seen by them."

Instead of asking him why it would be better if stayed up here, she just continued down the stairs and hurried past all the other girls back to her room.

Stella woke up the next morning with heavy rain hitting the window. She let out a frustrated groan as she rolled out of bed. Amandine was already up and dressed in training clothes.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." Stella was about to get dressed herself when she noticed a breakfast sandwich on her nightstand. "Did you get this for me?"

"Yeah, and you should hurry. Our first class today is P.E." Amandine put hair up in a long ponytail. "And you might want to dress warm."

Stella ate the sandwich in three large bites and washed it down with some milk from their mini fridge. She put on a gray sweatshirt and white workout pants. "Where is the classroom for P.E.?"

Amandine hesitated. "There is none. It's outside, always."

The rain still came down hard on the window and Stella wondered if it would break. The fog was still held back by the protection bubble. "Outside? Even in this weather?"

Bad weather has never stopped their coach, and he believed that nature was the right way to get in touch with your spirit. It sounds nicer then it really is.

The two girls made their way downstairs and stepped outside to where the teacher and the other students were already waiting. Everyone were soaked wet from the rain but that didn't seem to bother the coach at all.

Once everyone had gathered, coach Waldemar decided that it would be nice to take a few runs around school. Luckily, Stella was very athletic which made her faster then the other girls. She was already on second round and the other girls were way behind her. The guys had to do push-ups and sit-ups while the girls ran.

Stellla started to slow down when she no longer saw anyone behind her and eventually stopped all together. She wondered if she had taken the wrong turn somewhere or id the other girls were just really slow. After a few seconds of waiting and still seeing no one in sight, Stella decided to take a break.

She had never really seen the outside of the school and now seemed like the perfect time. The rain had let up a little and Stella could see her surroundings better. She was near the east wall. She could see the fog from the other press against an invisible shield.

This giant wall surrounded the entire school and on the other side was nothing but trees. The town was about a 30 minuet walk from here. She remembered this from her roommate who told her that she and her friends used to sneak out from time to time to get some new clothes.

With one final look around her, to make sure that no one was nearby. Stella jumped up in the air and landed on the other side. Flying was a basic magic skill.

There was a mint scent in the air.

"Running away?"

Stella spun around and saw a guy in his late teens staring at her. He had dark hair that covered most of his face and stood out in the back. His eyes were a deep ice blue and was a foor taller then her. "Who are you?"

A low chuckle escaped him as his eyes turned blood red. "Noctis Lucis Caelum."

To be continued....

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my story!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Stella gasped. The young man in front of her was a Endymion. He stood there motionless and watched her reaction. His eyes had returned to it's normal color but that didn't calm Stella`s fears as she thought of a fast way to get back around the wall.

She let out a yelp when he moved with inhuman speed and tackled down on the wet grass. Somehow she managed to kick him off herself and right into a tree. While he tried to scramble back up on his feet, Stella took this chance to try and jump back over the wall, but she was surprised when he jumped after her and felt his hand lock around her ankle. He swung her around and she landed right in the dirt. Within seconds he crouched over her and with one hand held her arms over her head while the other touched her neck. Stella tried to break free form his grip when she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her neck. If she didn't come up with an escape plan soon then he surely kill her. With one deep breath she screamed as loud as she could. He immediately let go over her neck and covered her mouth with his hand.

Stella felt the pain slowly disappear and dizziness take it's place. Her blood dripped down her neck and onto the ground where it strangely turned black. She watched as the black liquid burned the grass into ashes and turned two tree black. She returned to look at him only to find that his eyes were focused on the trees.

His grip on her arms loosened for a second which gave her more then enough time to break free and push him away. She pulled back her fist and landed a hit in his jaw which sent him flying back. It all happened so fats that he didn't have time to recover before she jumped back up on her feet and kicked him in the stomach. While he lied on the ground groaning in pain, she took this time to escape back to school. With one little push she tried to jump over the wall, but the sudden sharp pain in her neck made her fall back down again.

She was losing power and couldn't defend herself.

She tried to scream for help again but it only increased her pain. Before she knew it, he was beside her with a fist full of her hair in his hand. He was about to punch her in the face when when strange smell stopped him. He turned his head around and saw that the two ashes had also turned into ashes. They gave off a burning mint sent.

"Stella!"

Loud footsteps were heard on the other side of the wall and he knew that he had to leave her alive or else they would find him. In the blink of an eye he let her head drop to the ground and disappeared into the fog.

Stella could feel that someone touched her her shoulder but there was nothing but darkness in front of her eyes, and soon she fell into a pool of unconsciousness.

When she woke up, she was back in school but in a room she didn't recognize. The room was pretty open and big and was filled with a lot of beds. The walls were a soft yellow and there hanged white curtains everywhere.

"Where am I?" Her voice was weak but she knew that whoever was in the room with her could hear.

"Everything is fine. You're in the nurse's office." A familiar voice answered.

Slowly Stella`s eyes adjusted to the light and she could make out the shape of a small woman with pixie black hair. "Mrs. Sante?"

"I'm here, dear." Alexandria said in a gentle voice and touched Stella`s hand. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Stella tried to remember. The pain was gone and instead she felt this numbness that was hard to think past. "I was attacked by a Endymion."

Her word came out slowly but Alexandria waited patiently.

"My powers became weak. I don't know why." Stella pulled one hand up to touch the bandage on her neck. "What happened?"

"He burned you." Alexandria answered and sat on a chair near Stella`s bed. "We've put you on a healing potion but something is blocking it so it's working slower then usual."

What she said triggered a memory in Stella`s head. "Black."

Alexandria leaned forward. "What?"

"My blood turned black." Stella took a deep breath and pushed herself up in a sitting position. "When my blood touched the ground, it turned black and burned everything to ashes."

Without saying a word, Alexandria nodded her head as she listened to the story. "The one who attacked you, do you remember what her or she looked like?"

Stella thought back. "He said a name. Noctis Lucis Caelum."

She didn't know when but suddenly Alexandria had a pen and paper in front of her.

"Why was he here? So close to our school?" Stella wondered.

Alexandria stood up and folded the paper before she put it in her back pocket. Stella noticed now that she wore a black pants suit and scarlet red lipstick.

"There is a Endymions school deeper in the woods. The one that attacked you most have been the same one who broke into the library earlier and stole some books. "Alexandria said as she readjusted the pillows and gently pushed Stella back down. "Get some more rest. School starts in a couple of hours."

It wasn't until then that Stella noticed how dark it was outside. "How long have I slept?"

Alexandria smiled at her. "Two days. We think that he most have stolen energy from you and that's why it took so long for you to recover."

Two days ago he attacked her and left her unconscious outside the school wall. She still couldn't believe that it was so long ago. "Can I go back to my room? I want to be ready for school in the morning."

"Do you want another day to rest?" Alexandria asked but although she had already begun to help Stella out of bed.

Even though Stella felt a little weak, she refused Alexandria's help. She needed some time alone to think.

It was easier then she though to find her way back to the girls dorms alone. The nurse's office wasn't that far away. Just as she was about to walk through the wooden liquid door, someone gently took her by the arm.

"Why ere you out in the woods alone?" America asked her.

Stella glared at him. "Hello to you too."

"I'm serious." He glared back at her. "You shouldn't be out there alone."

"Why do you care?" She was about to walk away when she remembered something. "Do you know the name of the Endymions school that lies near our school?"

"Caeruleus Academy." A short pause. "My brother goes there."

Before another word could be said, America walked away as fast as he came. Stella spent a minuet or two glaring at the floor. She was brought back to reality when she saw someone skipping down the hall towards her. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled into two piggy tails and she wore PJ's.

"What are you doing up? It's in the middle of the night." It just occurred to her that she hadn't asked America that. At least Ujana was dressed for bed but America looked like he had been up for hours.

"I went to check on you again but they said that you went back to your room." Ujana said as they walked through the liquid door together and began walking the uneven steps. "We wore afraid that you would never wake up."

"I know. It's not like me to get into trouble this soon." Stella tried to make a joke out of it but the truth was that it bothered her a great deal.

Ujana must have seen this because she put one arm around Stella`s shoulders as they reached the third floor and walked into the girls dorm. "I like your sleepwear."

Her comment made Stella realize just how cold her feet were. She looked down and saw that she was barefoot and wore a white nightdress that reached down to her knees. "Who changed my clothes?"

"America." Ujana teased.

Stella looked at her friend with shocked eyes. "What?"

"He's been worried sick about you." Ujana explained. "He's been harassing me and your roommate about when you would wake up. Is there something you want to tell me? Something I should know?"

Stella shrugged. "He's weird. What else is here to say?"

They reached Stella`s room and Ujana let her go without being interrogated further on this subject.

Her roommate was already asleep, so Stella tried not to make too much noise as she walked over to the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of cold water. She gulped the entire bottle down and winced when it caused her pain on the neck to return.

She crawled under her cozy covers and waited for sleep to overcome her. It eventually did but this dream was different. It almost felt real. She dreamed about the guy who attacked her, Noctis. He mumbled something as he knelled in front of a tree which was surrounded by darkness, and he wasn't alone. There were three others with him but she couldn't see their faces because they wore black cloaks. Noctis wore one too but his hood was down. He reached up to the purple sky and a dagger magically appeared in hi hand. He placed the blade on his forearm and made a deep cut.

Her alarm clock rang loudly and she was sad that her dream ended there. Amandine woke up shortly after and when she saw Stella, she pulled back the covers and rushed over to her bed.

"When did you get back?" Amandine asked.

"Last night." Stella answered and got out of bed. "Have I really been asleep for two days?"

Amandine nodded. She had been quite worried these past couple of days. "Will you stay here today or go to school?"

"School." Stella said as she looked through her wardrobe.

"You go take a shower while I go get us some breakfast." Amandine got up and left the room. There was a kitchen that all the girls shared and a separate one for the boys.

While Amandine took care of that, Stella took a quick shower to wash away the last few days and carefully replaced the bandage on her neck. She had just fully dressed when Amandine returned.

She handed Stella her sandwich and milk carton while she went to shower and get dressed.

Their first class today was biology and when they walked into the classroom, all eyes went to Stella. A lot had happened that Stella almost forgot that she was the new girl.

Not long after them did the teacher enter the classroom and call everyone's attention to him.

The only empty seat was in the front next to a blond girl with a boyish haircut. The teacher, Mr. Benedict Angelo, talked about how magic was in their blood and how different their body worked differently form humans. For one thing, they were stronger and faster but their blood types are also different. Humans had A,B and 0 stuff but a Circe`s, or Endymion`s, blood was nemed after a magical creature, like nymph, fairy or others. The most powerful was daemon lungai, which meant demon blood. In the magic world a demon isn't a bad thing. It's a source to their powers.

All of the stuff that Mr. Angelo talked about was standard stuff that most Circes already knew and Stella found her mind drift beyond these walls. She slipped back into reality when her deskmate put a note in her hand.

_`I'm Caia Francesca.` _

Stella made sure that the teacher's back faced her before she took a quick glance at the girl next to her. Caia seemed to pay more attention to the teacher then she did a minuet ago. It was almost like she was avoiding or ignored Stella.

If Caia pretended that Stella didn't excist the Stella decided to do the same. It wasn't long before another note lipped into Stella`s hand.

_`We`ll talk after class.`_

This time Stella didn't bother to look at her because she knew that she would be ignored again.

The teacher wanted everyone to do blood testing so that everyone knew their blood type.

Stella told the teacher that she wasn't feeling so well ad got to leave before the experiment. She had done it before and it always ended the same. Her blood was different form others and there wasn't a magical creature who represented her blood. It was unheard of.

Instead of waiting for class to end and for Caia, Stella took out her schedule to see what her next class was. It was self defense. She had no idea where that class took place and begun walking around aimlessly.

"What's your next class?"

Stella turned around and saw America leaning against a wall.

"Do you always appear out of thin air?" Stella said and begun walking again.

He easily caught up with her. "Answer the question."

"Self defense. Do you know where that is?" Stella asked.

"There is a building behind school. I'm going there myself." America said and opened the front door for her. "How's your wound?"

"Better." Stella answered and remembered something. "You've been harassing my friends while I was asleep."

America just shrugged and Stella knew that he wasn't going to say more on this subject.

He led her to a funny looking building behind the school that looked way to small to be a classroom. The doubt most have been easy to read on her face because America let out a small chuckle and held the door open for her again. When they walked inside the place was much bigger then it looked from the outside.

"Magic." America whispered in her ear before he went to stand alone in a corner.

Stella wondered what was the source for his sudden behavior. Her question was answered when she noticed that every student in the building stared at him. That's when she remembered that America was part Endymion in him. Despite his strange behavior he was a good buy and it was sad that other people treated him differently.

"Are you two friends?"

Stella turned around and saw a blond guy with black bangs.

Luckily she didn't have to answer because the teacher entered the room and called everyone to order. She couldn't say no but they weren't exactly friends either.

In class they were supposed to learn how to create a magical shield to protect themselves.

It was Stella`s turn to try and do it but as soon as she tried to use her powers, she fell down on the floor and screamed as the pain increased on her neck. The beside her in a heartbeat and a student ran off to get help. Stella didn't notice any of this because the pain was too great. The only thing she heard was the voice in her head that kept saying,

"_You will be okay."_

It was America's voice.

To be continued.... 

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews! :)**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Stella slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was back in the nurse's office. Her headache was gone but she still felt very weak.

"Feeling better?"

She turned her head to the side and saw America sitting by her bed and next to him was a table full of flowers. Stella wanted to ask where the flowers came from but when she opened up her mouth to speak, she only managed to mumble out a few words.

"Talk slowly." America said quietly and leaned in to hear better.

"Who....sent...." Stella said and pointed to the table of flowers. She couldn't believe how much energy it took for her to say two small words.

America shrugged. "Amandine, Ujana, Caia and other people that are worried about you."

Stella tried to push herself up in a sitting position but her arms were to weak to hold herself up. America saw this and got up to help her. He put some pillows behind her back to make her comfortable. "Better?"

She nodded. "What...happened?"

America could see how hard it was for her to speak and decided to keep it short. "They don't know. Your blood seems to be changing. It's more thicker and darker then before."

"Why?" Her voice was so weak you could barely hear it.

"We think that the guy who attacked you cast some kind of a spell on you." Alexandria said from the doorway. Neither Stella or America knew that she had been listening. "We think that he has weakened your powers or maybe blocked them some way."

Stella remembered the day he had attacked her. He seemed just as surprised as she was when the strange thing with her blood happened. Her handed touched the bandage on her neck and had a flashback when she first saw his red eyes. How terrified she was when he tried to kill her.

"How long-" Stella stopped to take two big breaths. "-was I asleep?"

Alexandria smiled. "Don't worry. It's only been one day."

"But your recovery will take longer." America said and poured a glass of water for Stella. The pain in her neck intensified when she poured down the whole glass in one gulp and the glass fell form her hand. Not because from of the pain but because it was to heavy.

"How long?" Her voice sounded hoarse.

"You will stay in your room for three days." The was Alexandria said it made no room for arguments.

Both America and Alexandria helped Stella out of bed. She was dressed in her PJ's and Stella didn't even want to think of who might have changed her clothes when she was unconscious. She managed to walk by herself but she couldn't hold on to anything. She even had use both hands to opened the door to her room. America was sent to his room. Alexandria didn't want him anywhere near the girls-dorm. She herself had left right after she helped Stella up the stairs.

Amandine was not in their room so Stella took this time to take a quick shower. She was sure that once her roommate came back she would have a thousand questions that Stella would be forced to answer.

The hot water felt nice on her skin and helped her relax. She was very careful not damage her wound any further. It had stopped bleeding but it still burned like hell. Not to mention that she had trouble eating and drinking. She turned off the hot water and wrapped a towel around her naked body. She must have been in the shower longer then she thought because steam had gather in the room. To be able to see her reflexion she had to wipe her hand across the mirror. She carefully took off the bandage and saw the big dark purple mark in the side of her neck that looked like a big bruise.

Memories of what happened started coming back and she quickly put on a new bandage before to block the memories out.

Amandine still hadn't returned and Stella was thankful for that. It was strange how she had spent most of the days since she came here asleep and yet she was still tired. Without pulling the covers back she just laid down and shut her eyes until she felt sleep overcome her. Only to have the nightmares begin again.

This time Noctis was alone in a dark room with a book in front of him. He flipped the pages until he came to the right one. Then he started to mumble something in Latin. He spoke so quietly that Stella could only make out a few words. All of a sudden her dream started spinning. Her vision got blurred like she had been drugged.

Stella woke up and was back in her room. It was night and Amandine had already gone to bed. The burning in Stella`s throat had subsided and she felt that some of her strength had returned. She got up to get a glass of water but as soon as her feet hit the ground the dizziness returned. Along with the nightmare.

She tried to remember the details as she made her way to the mini-fridge. Only bits of pieces returned. She remembered Noctis mumbling something and there was a book with some kind of a symbol on it. Her head still hadn't cleared up by the time she made it to the mini-fridge and bent down to take out a bottle of water.

"Crap!" Stella cursed when the cold water hurt her throat. She took a few more careful sips before returning to her bed.

After laying there for an hour, she decided that sleep was not going to welcome her tonight so she crawled out of bed and got dressed. Maybe a walk would do her good. There was a rule that no students were to leave there room after 23.00 so Stella had to be extremely careful on the school grounds. She quietly closed the door behind her and made her way down the hall and big room to the stairway.

She had only made a few steps down when America appeared in front of her.

"Why are you here?" Her voice was only a whisper but still stronger then it had been earlier today.

"Looking for you." His lips hadn't moved and inch but his voice still appeared in her head. It was only a hand full of Circes who had that ability.

"Why?"

He ignored her question. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She stepped around him continued down to the first floor with him right behind her. "You're not supposed to be here."

When the reached the first floor America walked ahead of her and for some unknown reason, Stella followed. He led all the way to the other side of the building where the library was. The room was completely dark so America used a spell to temporary light up the room. The walls where dark brown and undecorated. Almost all over school there were pictures and photos covering every inch of the walls but this room was completely empty of that kind of stuff. The bookshelves where placed in the center of the room and build like a pyramid. Computers were pushed against the entire east wall and behind the labyrinth bookshelves was a small staircase that led to a small place with tables and chairs.

America went over to one of the computers and turned it on.

"Why are we here?" Stella asked and pulled out a chair to sit next to him.

"You remember the guy that attacked you." He didn't wait for her to answer. "He stole a book. Alexandria doesn't think that it's all that important. But the book that he stole holds ancient dark magic that hasn't been used in thousands of years."

"Why do we have a book like that here at school?" Stella wondered.

"It's a part of history and because the art of the magic has been lost, no one thought that it was a threat." America quickly accessed the school's database and a picture of a purple book with a symbol of a hourglass with a dotted circle around it.

"I remember that book." Stella whispered. "I saw it in my dream."

America turned around to look at her. "What dream?"

Stella explained how ever since she'd been attacked that she's been weak and had nightmares. She described both of her dreams to him. For some reason the last one seemed to really draw his interest.

"What his it?"

America pointed on the screen. "I have read this book. It's called **labores solis** which means eclipse of the sun. It was written by people who weren't Circes or Endymions. They called them selves spiritus."

"I have never heard of them." Stella said.

"That's because no one believes that they exist or ever existed. The spells in that book can only be performed by a spiritus, so people believe that it's just a bunch of crap." America had leaned in so close that Stella felt his hot breath on her skin.

"But you believe that it is true." Stella confirmed.

America leaned back in his chair. "I never had proof, until now."

"What do you mean?" Stella wondered.

"This book contains different kind of spells. One of them is a healing spell just like you described earlier. The dizziness you experienced is meant to heal illnesses or weakness. It almost like it makes you sicker to make you feel better. That's why you felt so much better when you woke up again." America explained. "If that guy can use those spells then he's a spiritus and that means that we have some serious trouble in our hands."

"Why would he help me?" Stella asked herself. He tried to kill her and now he wants to save her?

All of a sudden the computer turned off and his light spell was broken. Before Stella could ask what had happened, America put his hand over her mouth and pull her out of her chair. He dragged her out of the library ad further down the hall but not in the direction of the girls-dorm.

"They know we are here." He whispered and made a right turn. This hall looked exactly like the girls hall except that here everything was on the opposite side.

"Where are we?" Stella asked.

"The boys dorm." His voice appeared in her head again. "Don't speak. They can hear us."

He led her through a liquid door that looked exactly like the one in the girls hall and then up the stairs. Stella thought that he would stop at the 3th floor where the boys rooms were, but he continued all the way to the top. There was the same small door again except that this one had a picture on it instead of writing.

America suddenly turned around. "I'm sorry."

He wiped his hand across her face and Stella fell unconscious in his arms.

The morning sun burst through the thin curtains and hit Stella`s face.

"Wake up sleepy head." Amandine said and pulled Stella`s covers back.

To be continued....

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

_I should have studied better, _Stella thought as she kept her head down and tried to look busy. She looked out from the corner of her eyes as saw other using their pencils until the could catch fire. She had forgotten that this was high ranked school. Most of the people her were super smart and she did not want to fall behind. Especially when she still was the new kid.

There was still a few minuets before class ended, but none of her classmates seemed anywhere near done while she had finished hers about 40 minuets ago.

_I feel so stupid,_ Stella breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the bell ring. People started getting up and handing in their papers. Judging from their faces most of the seemed pleased with themselves. Stella pushed all the concerns from her head and went up to the teacher's desk. She placed her paper on the pile faced down so that others would not be able to see it.

"How did you do?" Amandine asked. She waited for Stella outside of class. Together they walked up to their room.

"You don't want to know." Stella whispered and pretended to observe the paintings on the wall.

"Really? I thought it was easy." Amandine smoothed out her hair. She seemed more vain now then ever.

"Don't brag. It doesn't suit you." Stella said and clasped her hand behind her back. They reached their room in record time and as soon as Amandine stepped inside, she went for the mirror.

"Is there something I should know?" Stella said as she watched Amandine refreshen her make up, again.

Amandine looked over at Stella with a predatory smile. "I got a boyfriend."

"Another one?" Stella asked. She knew that Amandine liked attention, but there had to be a line somewhere.

"What do you mean by that? I only got the one."

"What about the one from a few days ago?" Stella had walked into their room to find Amandine and some guy she did not know making out. Guys were not allowed in the girls dorms so Stella had made him leave. Amandine was pretty upset about it.

"Oh, him." Amandine said. Stella wondered how she could have forgotten. "That was nothing serious. Sometimes a friend and I get together when aren't seeing anyone else."

Stella nodded even though she didn't completely understand. "I'm tired." ever since that accident she hasn't been able to get a decent night sleep. Her hand touched the scar at the back over her neck. It still hadn't healed.

"Something wrong?" Amandine asked.

Stella smiled. "No." Alexandria had asked her to keep the whole thing quiet. It used to be the talk of the school before, but now everyone pretty much pretended that it had never happened. The attack had happened outside of school grounds so no one considered it has high risk problem.

"I'm sure that tomorrow you will feel much better." Amandine said. The had a field trip tomorrow to some mines and caves at the edge of town. There used to be a big diamond industry there.

"You're probably right." Stella stretched out on her bed and tried to get into a comfortable position. Maybe she could get in a nice nap.

* * *

Stella choose seats at the back of the bus where they could have more privacy.

"Can't we seat at the front. It would be more fun." Amandine said as they took their seats.

"It makes me uncomfortable. I feel so...exposed. I'm not sure if that is the right word, but if you want us to sit father up then..."

Amandine interrupted. "This is fine."

"I'm surprised that you are not sitting with your boyfriend. Is he coming on this trip?" Stella asked. She was curious to know who this guy was.

"He is sitting over there next to America." Amandine pointed to a dark blond guy with short hair.

"America?"

"Yeah. They're friends."

"America has friends." Stella placed her hand over her mouth. That wasn't meant to come out so mean. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Amandine waved her apology away. "Don't worry about it. I know that he his a bit of a loner, but America and Dante have known each other forever."

"So his name is Dante?" Stella's mind kept traveling towards America. They hadn't spoken to one another in a while.

"Yeah." Amandine seemed uncomfortable with something. "Listen. Do you mind if I go switch seats with America? I really want to sit next to Dante."

Stella didn't really want to sit next to America, but she also didn't want to tell that to Amandine. "If he says that it is fine then sure. Go ahead."

Amandine thanked her and grabbed her bag before leaving. Stella tried to relax her shoulders. There was no reason for her to be nervous in front of America. They were friends, sort of.

"Hi." He said as he slid into the seat next to her.

"Hello." Stella replied and both of them fell into a comfortable silence. America leaned his head back and got some rest before they reached their destination, while Stella looked outside the window and watched them drive through town.

Stella sat alone on a bench and ate her lunch. Amandine had run away some where with her boyfriend and did not feel like searching for America. She still felt awkward around him.

The tour had not been very interesting. There was nothing special about the cave they visited and their guide was less than good. He knew his facts, but he did not know how to present it very well. Stella could tell that he was new. She even heard some of the girls saying that he was cute, and he kinda was. Stella didn't really pay much attention.

"All alone?"

Stella looked up and saw Alexandria standing next to her. "Excuse me?"

"Where is Amandine? I saw her get on the bus." Alexandria took a seat next to her. Stella feared that her white dress would get dirt on the back.

"This is the first time I have seen you in a dress." Now that Stella really looked, she noticed that Alexandria was a bit fancier dressed then usual. "Got a hot date?"

Alexandria chuckled. "No. I just don't get to leave the school grounds very often, and when I do I try to make it a special occasion. Pathetic, huh?"

Stella shook her head. "Not at all."

"But back to what I was saying earlier. You haven't made that many friends since you transferred, which was some time ago. Why is that?"

Stella was a little taken back. "You really don't beat around the bush do you?"

Alexandria wasn't going to be distracted. "You haven't been bullied have you?"

"No." Stella said. "I... A lot of stuff happened. I guess. I just need time."

Alexandria seemed to accepted that as an answer. "Just don't take too much time. It will become harder. By the end of the week I want to see you with someone new."

Before Stella could protest, Alexandria made her way to some other students.

"That was kinda funny."

Stella turned around and saw a girl she recognized as Ujana standing behind her. "Must everyone sneak up on me."

"It wasn't like I planned to attack you or anything. I just wanted to say hello. We haven't seen each other in some time." Ujana sat down next to Stella. "What is new?"

"Nothing." Stella said.

"What's the deal with you and America?" Ujana asked.

Stella was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Are you dating? Or just friends?" Ujana wondered. "I saw you two on the bus together earlier and it drew my interest. Besides there has been some rumors around you two."

"What rumors?" Stella knew that America was center for many rumors and that they had spent some time together, but she hadn't realized that people might be taking about her as well. "On second thought, I don't want to know. And I am not dating him so you can have you go at him."

"I'm not interested in him that way. But you have to admit to that he does look delicious." Ujana said with a smile.

"That is the first time I have ever heard some describe a human being." Stella said. Her mood was picking up and she knew that was all Ujana`s doing. She had the kind of personality that was contagious. You had to be cheerful around her.

Ujana leaned in close. "I could eat him up."

"Eat who up?"

Both of the looked up to see America staring at them.

"No one." They said in unison.

"You two want to check around the cave?" America wondered.

"Why? We already did that?" Ujana said.

"We only saw a small part of the cave. It is said to be much bigger. The reason we couldn't see all of it was because it wasn't considered safe." America told them.

"So? Why would want to go back?" Ujana really didn't see what was so interesting about it.

America leaned in close and whispered, "I heard that somewhere in the cave Endymion were meeting regularly."

* * *

Stella still didn't know why she decided to come with him. When he had said Endymion, she saw _that_ man again. The one she had met in the woods outside the wall surrounding their school.

Stella was grateful that Ujana decided to accompany them. "Does anyone know where we are going? I don't want to end up lost."

"Don't worry about it. I remember where we came from and we won't go that far." America reassured her.

"Why are we here anyway? It's not like we will find you brother here." Ujana said and grimaced. "Sorry."

"Don't let it bother you. I know that he won't be here, but I am still curious." America said and took a right turn. Then suddenly stopped. "Do you smell that?"

Stella sniffed the air and her hair stood on ends.

"It smells like mint. Weird." Ujana said and continued to smell the air. "Where is it coming from?"

America pointed down the hall. "This way."

Stella took a hold of his arm and stopped him in his tracks. "It's him."

"Who?" America asked.

"They guy who attacked me outside school. Before I saw him. I smelled mint." Stella explained to them. "We should leave. We shouldn't be here."

"Forget that." America said and continued down the hall.

Ujana pulled at her arm. "Come on. We have to follow him. We can't just leave him alone."

Stella reluctantly followed. She was worried about any of them getting hurt, but more than that she was more worried about seeing him again. She could feel her neck starting to tingle. "We're getting close."

The smell of mint intensified and they could hear chanting. There were narrow stairs at the end of the hall. Stella had to hold the wall for support so that she wouldn't fall down.

"Maybe we should leave." Ujana whispered. She was starting to think that this might have been a very bad idea. "We might get hurt."

America shushed them with a stern look and continued down the stairs.

The bottom opened up to another big room with a big hole in the bottom. Stella felt Ujana poke her on the arm and then point at the walls. There were odd painting on the walls.

America carefully approached the edge and they followed him. Below them Stella counted four people dressed in black cloaks and she had a sudden flashback to her strange dream.

_We have to leave_, but she was so focused on what was happening below them that she was unable to move her legs towards the exit.

The chanting slowly died down and one by one the four heads turned to look up at them. On of the four people reached up to remove his hood and Stella's breath was caught in her throat.

"Noctis."

* * *

_To be continued..._

_Please review!_


End file.
